A Watanabe Valentine
by Lydinya
Summary: "I'm already halfway through the day." You sighed aloud as she walked down the halls looking around every corner. It wasn't just any day but in fact it was the oh so dreaded Valentine's Day. (You/Riko)


"I'm already halfway through the day." You sighed aloud as she walked down the halls looking around every corner.

It wasn't just any day but in fact it was the oh so dreaded Valentine's Day.

It's not that You hated love, no, as a matter of fact she loved love. And the fact that there was a day to confess your admiration to one another in the most passionate filled gesture was quite possibly the cutest thing ever. Of course, with You being so popular it wasn't any question as to why so many girls did just about that anytime she was in sight. However, none of them were the red-haired beauty she had longed to see all day. She ached to see her piano playing friend on this marvelous day but due to them transferring to a different school recently, it meant that all 3 girls were in different classrooms. Even then it wasn't as if You were brave enough to say anything to her today, or just about any other day.

As You rounded the corner, a pleasant thought popped into her head, 'Chika-chan is probably having a blast eating all of her chocolate today from her Aqours admirers.'

The thought of Chika being happy brought a smile to You's face. Her childhood friend always was there to support You in anything she did so believing she was ecstatic always in return uplifted her own mood. Then, as if something sour had hit her taste buds, something unpleasant came into thought,

'Riko-chan most likely had numerous confessions today...but none of them were me.'

You shook her head at the thought as she finally entered her classroom, finding it empty to her enjoyment. Sometimes during lunch, she preferred to just sit in silence rather than barge into Chika or Riko's classroom, it gave her time to think of costume designs. While the Aqours did technically disband when their school was shut down, You's passion for costumes just grew.

So here she was grabbing art supplies from the cabinets in the back of the room while rearing her desk with high determination when she noticed something that caught her attention. There were candy hearts scattered neatly on her desk in the shape of a heart.

'Guess they were too shy to tell me upfront.' You assumed while double checking she had all the supplies she needed so she didn't have to make two trips.

As You sat down, she contemplated what to do with the hearts. She didn't want the candy to go to waste and they did obviously care so she might as well eat them, right? She pushed the candy bits higher towards the top of her desk to make room for her supplies as she started her drawings. As You began focusing more on her costume designs, she started popping the little hearts in her mouth absentmindedly while enjoying how sweet they were. It was pretty obvious whoever made them put lots of love in it.

As time continued on with her costume design, all that could be heard from the young future sailor were pencil scratches and eraser marks scuffing the sketchbook in front of her. After a sizable amount of time had passed, she decided to sit back and look at her costumes in their full glory.

'Not too bad if I do say so myself.' You smiled while looking at her work.

As a reward to herself, You went to grab an extra heart since no hard work should be left unrewarded in her mind. As she picked the sweets up, she realized the petite blue candy in her palm had her name on it. She looked at it curiously, questioning why a large company would make a candy with her name on their hearts. She gazed at the other hearts in front of her to see if they also had her name on them as well since if they did, she might as well save one. Custom making these types of things weren't cheap after all.

Suddenly her heart stopped.

"Th-these hearts…they all have different words on them!" You shouted in a panic.

Throwing her sketchbook on the floor, her heart was engulfed with regret as she didn't even get to see what this person was trying to tell her. You couldn't remember the exact order the hearts were in so she started to form what could possibly make sense. After 5 minutes of scattering around the few words that were left, all that she could make out was "Happy - Day - You - hope - today - at - see - you "

Ultimately, You sat back and stared at the puzzle pieces in disappointment after seeing they hardly told her anything. She didn't want to disappoint the poor mysterious girl and not even bother showing up, but she also apparently had the time and place located in her stomach. As she paced around in her head for some ideas, a thought came into mind,

'It would seem logical that they wanted to meet after school, right? I mean I would never skip classes for anyone and since it was obviously someone from school, they would want to confess somewhere within it, right? Someone please answer me!'

You pleaded in her mind with the sky. As time went on and the idea became less preposterous, she kept thinking aloud,

"If I were to confess to Riko-chan today I would probably pick the most romantic place to do so… The most romantic place…somewhere that would be special and where we can be alone... The roof!"

Now that You had semi solved a destination for her "date", the only problem now is at what time? Considering it was You's fault for eating the treats before actually appreciating them, she decided her punishment was to wait for this girl no matter the time. It seemed like a better idea than to just go home and be disappointed in herself for not confessing to Riko anyways. Finally, with a solid plan in her heart, You got up doing her trademark salute before exclaiming out,

"Zensoku zenshin! Yousoro!"

—

It was already 8pm when You finally got off the last bus to take her back to Numazu. After glancing around at the empty bus area, she caught sight of the peer. Noticing how rare it was for her to see the ocean at this time of night, You decided that maybe it didn't matter if she took a little bit longer getting home, it wasn't too late anyways.

As she reared the safety railings at the peer she began looking out into the ocean. With only the winds of the sea to be heard she started to think,

'Maybe I did get stood up by someone I didn't even know.'

The depressing thought lingered in her head a bit longer as she watched the gentle waves of the ocean sway with the wind.

After no longer wanting to be upset near her favorite place, her feet carried her home with long strides. She was already having a rough day, after having to call her mom telling her she would be late, then being told she'd have to walk for being irresponsible knowing the car had headlight issues, You didn't even want to go home at this point. At home she knows she'd think about the one person she has tried all day to keep her mind away from. She then had a sudden idea, quickly grabbing her phone and shooting her mom a text she was on her way again, this time a little bit happier.

'Chika-chan's house is closer to mine and plus she always cheers me up so this will be good for me!'

After some time walking, You decided to take a small detour from Chika's house to the gas station. Chika wouldn't just accept You empty handed, well she would but You didn't want to chance that so why not bring a peace offering for stopping by so late at night. She decided to pick the closest gas station and as she walked closer, she saw a familiar face through the clear windows. It was Riko and it seemed as if she was staring at the candy isle with intense concentration. Considering You still had time before it became too late to see Chika she decided to stop by.

As You went to grab the door, the sudden realization hit her, it was just her and Riko, the one person she was avoiding all day.

'Well… It is pretty late and I shouldn't let Riko-chan walk home alone.' You kept repeating to herself as she willed the courage to finally see the red-haired beauty.

As she pulled open the heavy doors, the fluorescent lights of the store shone bright into her eyes. She squinted and went to cover them but before she could, she caught sight of Riko's shocked amber eyes.

'Maybe this was a bad idea.' You thought as she looked quickly towards the drinks to avoid eye contact.

Riko hurriedly put down her candy bars and started walking towards the back of the store in hopes to avoid You at all costs. Since You isn't one to avoid confrontations, most of the time, she decided to call out for Riko instead of letting her escape.

"Riko-chan! Is that you?" You questioned even though she knew fully well who she was speaking to.

After hearing You, Riko perked up and turned to her opening her mouth then closing it looking like a fish out of water.

"Y-You-Chan? What are you doing here?" Riko ask confused as ever since You should be at home at this time at night, not at her local gas station.

"I'm just heading over to Chika-chan's place. What about you? Shouldn't you have a date or something on Valentine's Day?" You asked genuinely curious to see what Riko would reveal.

"It's late at night you shouldn't be out at this time, plus you're so far from home!" Riko answered with concern while deflecting the question.

"Well there was a slight issue at school today and now I'm paying for it haha." You awkwardly giggled at the end. She knew Riko was avoiding her question, then again who would tell of their secret plans on Valentine's Day?

Riko perked up "What do you mean? I thought you went home right after school. I didn't even see you after classes ended."

"Well... if I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Chika-chan?" Of course, You knew she shouldn't be saying anything but something about the night time always made her feel more vulnerable and willing to tell anyone anything they asked. At least that's what she told herself, but everyone knew she could never deny Riko no matter how hard she tried.

"Of course. You have my word, You-chan." Riko confidently answered while placing a hand onto her heart.

"Well I got stood up-"

Riko then immediately shot off like a rocket cutting You off "What! YOU got stood up? Who stood you up? Wait do you like someone? Is that why you didn't-"

"Riko-chan please let me finish." You giggled while gesturing her to calm down with her hands.

"Oh yes I'm sorry please continue." Riko apologized while blushing profusely.

You then took a deep breath before quickly expelling out,

"Well I don't really know if I was really stood up, but it sure feels that way. There was a slight mix up on my part. I found candy hearts on my desk today and I thought they were just a candy type of gift, so I ate them instead of reading them and about halfway through enjoying them I realized they spelled out something. So, me being me, I started freaking out and put them together as best as I could but all I got out was that they wanted to meet me somewhere, but I ate the time and place. So, long story short, I stayed on the rooftop of our school until about 10 minutes before the last bus was supposed to stop by and then it dawned on me, I had gotten stood up." You had spit out the entire story while looked down at her feet after silently admitting the last part. Just because she would tell anything to Riko doesn't mean she still doesn't get embarrassed.

Riko just looked at her fully blushing after hearing her entire story. After some time of just thinking she straightened herself up saying,

"You-chan, do you want some candy to make you feel better? My treat."

You looked up at her surprised since Riko had seemed in such a hurry to not be seen when You first got to the gas station.

"Oh no it's fine Riko-chan! But I wouldn't mind walking with you to Chika's place. There aren't any more busses to take me home and the car doesn't have headlights so looks like I'm staying there for the night." You sweetly smiled at Riko hoping she said yes and she wouldn't have to awkwardly walk behind her the entire way back.

"I'd love to! Just let me grab a bottle of water." Riko exclaimed before running to the back of the store.

As Riko and You exited the small store, they made small talk while cruising down memory lane. They each shared how fun it was making costumes and music while the Aqours were still a thing. Riko even shared some insight on what she used to do on previous Valentine Day's which consisted of lots of piano practice and "reading". Before they knew it, they had walked all the way to Chika's home. As You turned to look at Riko, she couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked under the moonlight. Riko was looking directly at her. It was almost frightening, thinking she could read her like a book, unraveling every secret she had kept locked away from her for the past year and a half. Riko had been fully blushing but You doesn't remember a time when she was not. Finally, Riko took her step forward taking You by surprise and grabbing her hands. Riko, only looking down at their intertwined fingers, took a deep breath before saying,

"I'm the one who left the candy hearts, You-chan."

You took a step back having been surprised by this new knowledge, the girl of her dreams just admitted she asked her out…and she also stood her up? Confusion was written all over You's face as she began thinking while looking down at their intertwined hands,

'Why would she invite me out yet not even follow through with her plans…unless she regretted it and only is admitting it because she feels bad. Or maybe I got the place wrong? But where else could you go to confess?'

Riko suddenly understood why You had taken her step back throwing her most apologetic look towards You before shouting out in a hurry,

"But wait! I didn't leave you by yourself! The hearts actually said 'Happy Valentine's Day, You! I hope you will meet me at the café today at 3. See you there'."

By then it had all caught up to You. She looked up from their linked hands to the first thing being tears threatening to fall from Riko's golden eyes. She finally understood this entire journey, You had believed she was stood up by a stranger while Riko believed she was stood up by You herself.

You knew she had to fix this situation quickly since this was the opportunity of a lifetime. No one to interrupt them. Just her and Riko. Finally, she tightened her grip just slightly with Riko's hands, causing Riko to look into You's eyes once more. As ocean blue met with amber gold, it was the one moment of self-assurance You needed. She then gathered all her confidence and spoke out,

"Riko-chan I really really like you. I didn't think you liked me back which is why I didn't ask you out today. I had gone to this other request because I felt that it would be good to get my mind off of you for a day. I'm sorry that you believed I stood you up. In return I'd like to ask you a question."

You then let go of Riko's right hand, taking ahold of her left one and kneeling down before asking the one question that's been on the tip of her tongue for almost a year now,

"Riko-chan would you like to go on a date with me this Friday?"

Riko, still with tears in her eyes, shook her head furiously as she pulled You up into a hug, still while shaking her head yes. You held on to her tightly with a smile too wide it was beginning to hurt. She didn't mind though since she was so happy after finally getting her feelings off of her chest. In that moment they both would have forgotten where they were had Chika not swung open her window yelling out,

"Riko-Chan where have you been!? And where is the cand- oh hey You-Chan!"

As Riko stepped back fully blushing by now, she yelled back to Chika quickly,

"I'll be up in a second!" Riko then gestured to You with her eyes to give the hint to Chika that she wanted some alone time with her. Chika got the reference…kind of before shouting back,

"Oh! Okay! Alright I'll leave you and YOU-CHAN alone!" Chika winked as she giggled closing the windows.

Riko then looked back at You who was as puzzled as ever before saying,

"I didn't tell Chika-Chan about the café incident but she saw I looked sad on Valentine's Day and invited me over to watch sappy rom coms with her. She kind of already knew how I felt about you so please excuse her idea of being suave." Riko rushed out while looking down to hide her blush

"Oh, so should I head home then? I don't want to intrude." You asked while awkwardly rubbing her neck. She began to think it through,

'It would be weird right? We aren't dating but this would be like a date...or does it qualify as a hang out? Can we still hang out as friends without it automatically be a date since we know each other's feelings?'

You's head went into overdrive thinking about everything. When Riko finally noticed, she hurried out before You would hurt herself with so much thinking,

"No! I mean no it's fine. Maybe these movies will give us a good idea on our first date on Friday?" Riko was about as red as her hair at this point but she hoped You would just see past it and just agree to hang out with her longer.

You always loved the look of Riko's blush when it was fully covering her face but to spare her any further embarrassment, she gave Riko her biggest smile while holding out her hand and bowing while saying,

"Then it would be my pleasure m'lady."

Riko visibly cringed and laughed as she shot back quickly "Okay that might need a little work."

You laughed out "Alright alright. But hey I have a question." She stood fully up grabbing hold of Riko's hands.

"Y-yes You-Chan?" Riko was back to her usual blush filled face as she got close to You.

"Where is the candy?" You smirked at her knowing Riko didn't purchase any while they were at the gas station.

Riko looked down at her bag then back at You in a panic quickly shouting out "Quick, go upstairs and distract Chika! I'll be right back."

Before You could even get a response, Riko kissed her cheek before running off leaving a blushing You holding her cheek.

Then with the biggest smile ever she began her journey inside her best friend's house. As she finally entered Chika's room, Chika had the all-knowing look as if she knew what had just happened outside as she asked You,

"Had a good Valentine's Day?"

You looked back at her with dreamy eyes as she collapsed onto Chika's bed yelling out

"Best Valentine's Day ever!"


End file.
